A modern and fruity applique mugrug or miniquilt ... keep it or gift it, it's quick and easy
Recently I attended my first ever quilt retreat! It was a complete blast to say the least, and just what my creative soul had been crying out for!
We had three whole days together, just a group of us sewing nutters, who totally understood each other!
If you're surrounded in your day to day life by people who just smile and nod when you show them what you've sewn, then you will relate to how special hanging out with your 'crowd' can be!
We sewed together, shared our makes and 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over the breathtaking creations that everyone had brought.
Of course we ate and drank and laughed and even slept a little bit.
One of our 'homework' projects that we had to bring with us, was a mugrug to give away.
It was so special to have a memento of our trip from each other.
I thought I'd share a tutorial and pattern for how to make one just like it!
My inspiration was the luscious bowl of autumn William Bartlett pears sitting on my counter because they just look more and more delectable as they grow in colour!
I was woefully inadequate in coming up with a decent 'pear pun' name, so you'll just have to settle for 'Pear-fect Mugrug'.
Please let me know if you can think of a better one!
This is a really fast little project that packs a lot of POP and I've used some of my new favourite fabrics here:
Trixie by Heather Ross, Daisy Chain by Annabel Wrigley, and Tilda's Apple Butter.
I also managed to find the perfect variegated brown fabric that looks just like a woody stem!
Let's get started!
Step 1 Gather supplies
To make this 6" square mugrug or mini quilt, you will need:
- Pear template - click the image above to download the pdf
- 7" square of fabric for mugrug top
- 7" square of fabric for base
- 7 1/2" square of batting
- Selection of [3] contrasting fabrics for pear, approx 4" square
- 2" scrap for pear stem
- Fusible web like Vliesofix or Wonder Under
- 30" length of 2 1/4" wide binding
- Perle 8 thread for handquilting
- basic sewing supplies
Step 2 Make quilted base
Start with making a quilt sandwich from your top fabric, batting and backing fabric.
Quilt as shown. I've done a mixture of machine quilting lines 1" apart, and added some hand quilting afterwards in between.
The hand stitching just gives that extra handmade touch of quirky, which helps to set the finished product apart from a mass produced piece.
Step 3 Applique pieces
Trace A, B & C and stem onto fusible web, and cut out roughly.
Fuse web to the back of your chosen pear fabrics. Cut out the sections along traced lines.
Decide where you will position your pear on the base by placing pieces and moving them until you're happy.
Fuse A & B into place onto quilted base, aligning slightly to the left of centre, but making sure you'll still have enough room to trim down your base.
Stitch close to the edges of the A & B with contrasting thread, using a short (1.2) stitch length.
Following placement guide on template, fuse C over the top of A & B, and stitch along edges.
Fuse pear stem in place, following template guide, and stitch outline.
Add shading with thread by stitching roughly under the base and adding extra definition to the stem.
I added a bit of white stitching as well for some interesting highlights.
Step 4 Trim and bind
Trim mugrug to 6", and bind.
Here's quick tutorial if you need help with this.
Here's a pin for you to save this for future reference!
So if you feel an unpear-able urge to make this, I'd love you to share and tag #pearfectmugrug so others can share the fun too!
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